Wuste European Car Festival 2013

VAG fans invade Sin City

An invitation to Las Vegas is a hard thing to pass up. Especially if it's laced with the promise of some of the best modified Volkswagens and Audis on the West Coast. The Wuste (pronounced 'woo-stah') European Car Festival 2013, Lucky #7 was just that invitation - which we happily accepted.

The Palace Station Hotel & Casino graciously (or reluctantly, the verdict is still out...) offered its multi-level parking garage to the swarm of Wuste attendees, who managed to occupy nearly every parking space from the fourth floor to the roof.

Music echoed throughout the concrete structure as owners became reacquainted with old friends. If you happened not to be acquainted with anybody at this point, you simply grabbed a brew and looked to strike up a conversation. Everybody was there to celebrate their love for VAG culture and so the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Most attendees plan for this small slice of the Southwest Euro show scene a year in advance, and with the Las Vegas Strip as the backdrop, you couldn't ask for a better setting.

Admittedly, it felt like a car show on the surface of the sun, but the heat didn't seem to bother many people, despite triple-digit temps from midnight to noon as the cars kept coming.

Show Time

Utilizing a new venue for Wuste 7, Las Vegas Motor Speedway packed an estimated 1300 cars and 3500 people into the pit garages and parking areas around the Neon Garage infield.

As the temperature hit 105°, the Neon Garage courtyard was filled wall-to-wall with the best custom cars in the show field. Even the garages were occupied with fine examples, including our friends at Janky Garage who brought Grant Keller's Mk4 R32 and Jeff Lockhart's Mk4 Jetta (EC 9/13).

We met Joshua Zetnia, who drove from Los Angeles to unveil his latest work - a 2000 GTI VR6 complete with full engine build and turbo. If that wasn't enough, the car received a new coat of Rave Green metallic paint to highlight the extensive bodywork, like R32 bumpers and a razor-straight shave. Inside, nearly every surface was covered in peanut butter leather with white topstitching.

Jason Maglinao took his '07 Audi A3 to a new level when he decided to outfit it with an S-Line aero kit, shaved trunk and custom rear bumper to allow for a quad-tip exhaust system. Thanks to AccuAir suspension, the 19" BBS LMs tucked nicely behind massaged fender flares. Inside, a tasteful leather and suede upgrade was seen on the seats and headliner.

Wuste 7 proved that Southwest VAG enthusiasts have been busy in their garages building exceptional show cars. Having attended some of the nation's top Euro shows on three consecutive weekends, we can't help but get excited for the forthcoming Waterfest and H20. We look forward to seeing you there and will report our findings in print and online.